Due to their small-size, multifunctional and/or low-cost characteristics, semiconductor devices are being esteemed as important elements in the electronic industry. Some semiconductor devices may include a memory device for storing data, a logic device for processing data, and a hybrid device capable of performing various functions simultaneously.
A demand for the high integration of semiconductor devices is increasing with the development of the electronic industry. Accordingly, various problems may arise due to the decreasing size of the device, thus making fabrication of semiconductor devices more difficult. For example, the process margins of an exposure process and an etch process for defining patterns of semiconductor devices are decreasing due to the decreasing size of the patterns. Furthermore, various types of steps are caused by the density and complexity of the patterns, and it is becoming more difficult to planarize such steps. Moreover, the characteristics of miniaturized patterns are becoming very sensitive to peripheral environments. For example, the characteristics of miniaturized patterns are increasingly depending on the physical states, such as shapes and surface roughness and chemical states, such as material types, of peripheral material layers or peripheral patterns. The miniaturization of patterns makes it difficult to form the patterns to have their respective characteristics.